The moment I finished, Ryan’s face darkened. But then, his spare phone buzzed in his pocket.
He glanced at me, answered the call, and walked toward the window.
I couldn’t hear the conversation, but I saw the warmth in his expression… and the faint shadow of someone standing outside.
Seeing that scene, my emotions broke free. Tears streamed down my face.
I snatched the phone from his hand and hurled it to the ground.
“Tell that woman to get out! Don’t come here to disgust me.”
The sound of a slap rang out in the living room.
Clutching my burning cheek, I stared at him in disbelief. He spoke coldly:
“Stop being ridiculous. Sophia had a fight with her family and got kicked out. She has nowhere else to go. The company’s about to go public—do you really expect me to let my assistant suffer on the street?”
With that, he went to open the door. Sophia stumbled in, tears streaming down her face.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn. I know I shouldn’t be here bothering Ryan, but I truly had nowhere to go. My parents used all my savings for my brother. Otherwise, I would never—”
But Sophia wasn’t just his assistant. She was also his White Moonlight—the one he could never forget.
They had been college sweethearts. If not for his family’s disapproval, Ryan would never have given her up to marry me.
I had always known about her existence. I thought if I ignored it, maybe I could warm his heart. But I forgot… How could a stand-in ever compete with the one that got away?
When I stayed silent, Ryan’s voice thundered again:
“Evelyn Lane, I paid for this house. Since when does Sophia need your permission to be here? If you don’t like it, get out. Who do you think you’re giving that attitude to?”
Before he could say more, Sophia grabbed his arm and choked out,
“I’m sorry, Ryan. I forgot it’s your tenth anniversary today. I’ll leave now. I won’t bother you again…”
As she turned to go, I picked up the gift box on the table and shoved it into her hands.
“Assistant Reed, with your habit of forgetting things, how can you possibly be qualified to work as the CEO’s assistant? Forgetting a dress is nothing. But if you forgot something more… intimate, wouldn’t people say you were seducing your boss?”
Both of their faces flushed with embarrassment. With one look from Sophia, Ryan grabbed my wrist roughly, forcing me to apologize.